Maharashtra: Uddhav dares BJP to finish him, says he has blessings of Bal Thackeray, people

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray dared the Bharatiya Janata Party to finish him and asserted he had the blessings of his late father Bal Thackeray and the people.

In an interview to party mouthpiece Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut, Thackeray wanted to know how the BJP could take credit for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya when it was not ready to take responsibility for the demolition of the Babri Masjid there in 1992.

In the second part of the interview, which was published in Saamana on Thursday, the former Maharashtra chief minister said it was the Supreme Court, which resolved the Ram temple issue.

"If you want to finish me then do that. Let us see. I have the blessings of my father and the people," said Thackeray attacking the BJP.

Thackeray also asserted that his country is his family, underlining that "this is Hindutva".

Thackeray said he did agree with rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar should retire due to his age.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief asserted that such statements went against the tradition of Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse Patil, had joined the Eknath Shinde government on July 2.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also claimed his father and Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had saved Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought to know if this (attacking him) was how one repaid a favour.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) routinely claims it was Bal Thackeray who saved Modi from being removed as Gujarat chief minister after the 2002 riots there by speaking to then deputy prime minister and BJP stalwart LK Advani.